International Women s Club of Sofia Call for Proposals Small Grants Deadline for receipt of applications: 31 January 2018
Notice: This Call for Proposals forms the basis for applying for IWC grants. It must neither be construed as a grant agreement, nor be regarded as a confirmation of a grant awarded by IWC to any entity. Consequently, IWC is not liable for any financial obligations, or otherwise, incurred by any entity in responding to this call for proposals. Such costs will not be considered as part of the grant budget in the event that a grant is awarded to an applicant. ii
Table of contents 1 THE GRANTS PROGRAMME... 1 1.1 Background... 1 1.2 Objectives... 1 1.3 Thematic focus of this Call for Proposals and priority issues... 2 1.4 Award amounts... 2 2 HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT... 2 2.1 Eligibility Criteria... 2 2.2 Application procedures... 5 3 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS... 6 3.1 Evaluation and selection of applications... 6 3.2 Approval of awards... 8 3.3 Notification of Decision... 8 4 DOCUMENTATION... 8 4.1 Documents to be submitted on application... 8 4.2 Documents to be signed between IWC and the Contractual Party... 9 4.3 Reporting, monitoring and evaluation... 9 iii
1 THE GRANTS PROGRAMME 1.1 Background International Women s Club Sofia (IWC) brings together expatriate women living in Sofia, Bulgaria. Our 120 members are truly international and represent over 40 nationalities. The Club has been administered by its members on an entirely voluntary basis since its inception in 1989. Through its activities, the Club provides opportunities to interact and share the cultures and interests of our members. IWC organizes activities that help expat members familiarise themselves with Sofia and with Bulgarian culture. IWC is a social club with no religious, political or commercial affiliations. IWC has created a peaceful and harmonious forum for its members and everyone who joins in our activities. The club s main purpose is to welcome newcomers to Sofia and provide them with a platform for creating networks among the foreign and local communities. The club's other major purpose is to help local people and communities in. Every year the club organises one main fundraising event - the annual Christmas Charity Bazaar which pulls together the whole international diplomatic and business community for a truly enjoyable event. With the amount raised IWC supports local charities in their efforts to bring change to the local communities. The benefitting charities undergo a selection procedure and are carefully chosen by the IWC s Executive Board. The Charity Team of IWC work in all areas covering IWC mandates, focusing on all aspects of UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the framework of the above mentioned priorities, IWC is encouraging Bulgarian Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to apply to the small grants scheme to implement activities related to the objective of this Grants Programme. 1.2 Objectives This Call for Proposals takes into consideration the importance of harnessing all available resources towards the implementation of activities aimed at meeting the objectives of this Grants programme. The main objective of this Grants programme is to encourage Bulgarian NGO sector to raise awareness on UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to nourish actions to its implementation. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 Global Goals, which are measured by progress against 169 targets. The SDGs cover a broad range of social development issues like poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, environment and social justice. The SDGs are also known as "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The goals were developed to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which ended in 2015. 1
Unlike the MDGs, the SDG framework does not distinguish between developed and developing nations. Instead, it articulates goals that apply to all countries. Paragraph 54 United Nations Resolution A/RES/70/1 of 25 September 2015 contains the goals and targets The UN-led process involved its 193 Member States and global civil society. The resolution is a broad intergovernmental agreement that acts as the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The SDGs build on the principles agreed upon in Resolution A/RES/66/288, popularly known as "The Future We Want." 1.3 Thematic focus of this Call for Proposals and priority issues This Call for Proposals seeks to provide funding support to Bulgarian Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs), in particular NGOs at national, local and/or community level, working in the area of areas, specified in this call for proposals. For 2018, grant funding under this Call for Proposals shall be provided under the following priority categories: Early childhood development Gender equality Innovation in education Climate change and wildlife Culture, arts and sports 1.4 Award amounts Proposals with budgets of up to BGN 5,000 for first time applicants and up to BGN 20,000 for recurring applicants and will be considered for award. However, value for money will be assessed as a part of the rating criteria. 2 HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT These guidelines under this section set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of grants projects financed under this grants programme. 2.1 Eligibility Criteria There are eligibility criteria relating to: who may apply (2.1.1); projects for which a grant/contract may be awarded (2.1.3); and costs which may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant/contract (2.1.4). 2
2.1.1 Fundamental principles Grant applicants should consider the following fundamental principles in designing their grant proposals: an ethical approach to grant implementation; partnership with other stakeholders; project design with the potential for replication; sustainability of project. 2.1.2 Eligibility of applicants: who may apply? In order to be eligible for a Grant, applicants must: be an Bulgarian non-profit making organisation or NGO registered under the Bulgarian Notfor-Profit Legal Entities Act; have been registered not less than two (2) months; be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, i.e. not acting as an intermediary; demonstrate prior experience in the area of conducting monitoring, analysis, report drafting, working with the social projects, advocacy, and the organisation s potential to make useful contributions to the review process and follow up activities; have a bank account; 2.1.3 Eligible projects: which proposals may be funded? Duration All activities financed by this Grants programme must be implemented by 31 December 2018. Location In Bulgaria Types of proposals Only proposals aimed at achieving the strategic objectives, priorities and results as indicated in section 1.2 are eligible for funding under this Call for Proposals. The following types of proposals are not eligible: proposals concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses; proposals concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses; credit or loan schemes; debts and provisions for losses or debts; proposals which consist exclusively or primarily of capital expenditure e.g. land, buildings, equipment, vehicles, etc. These can be better dealt with through procurement; 3
proposals which discriminate against individuals or groups of people on grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or lack of them, or their ethnic origin; scholarships, sponsorships and school fees; cash donations; political party and religious activities; proposals which provide funding for terrorist activities. Number of applications per applicant An applicant may submit only one proposal per category under this Call for Proposals. Please note that all activities financed by this Grants programme must be new interventions, i.e. not already existing, that would not be able to take place without the funding secured through the Grants award. 2.1.4 Eligibility of costs: which costs may be taken into consideration? Only eligible costs can be taken into account. The categories of costs considered as eligible and noneligible are indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and a ceiling for "eligible costs". Note that the eligible costs must be based on real costs based on supporting documents. Costs that do not appear realistic may be rejected. It is therefore in the applicant's interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget. Eligible direct costs To be eligible under this Call for Proposals, costs must be directly verifiable and traceable to the activities being implemented. General provisions on eligible expenditures incurred during the duration of the action/eligibility period; directly connected to the activities of the project and indicated in the estimated budget; necessary for the implementation of the action; identifiable and verifiable, recorded in the accounting records of the beneficiary in accordance with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation; reasonable, justified and cost efficient; actually incurred actual payments made by the beneficiary and backed up by accounting documents. Specific provisions on eligible expenditures Operational expenses: Operational expenses include those costs that have to be met for implementing activities for a project and they have a direct impact on the beneficiary community. Activities such as organizing a meeting, conducting a training, conference, seminar, workshop, running an awareness campaign, publications and dissemination, reporting, project monitoring and evaluation, and etc. involve certain expenses. They must be specifically incurred for the project, foreseen in the budget, clearly identifiable and not covered by any other heading of cost. The expenses must be exclusively linked to the 4
project and reporting must be clear and precise. In linked to the organisation of projectrelated events, staff costs and travel costs must be budgeted and reported under Staff and Travel budget headings; reimbursement in cash should be avoided (e.g. speakers fees/interpretation services) and avoidance of double reimbursement of meals with per diems must be achieved. If the activities are to be subcontracted, the subcontracting rules must be applied. Travel expenses: The travel expenses must be directly linked to the project s activities and made by persons taking part in the action (directly or contracted). All travels must be reported under this heading and in line with the beneficiary s usual practices and systems. The most economical fare and method should be applied. In case of subsistence costs reimbursement of actual costs (accommodation, meals, and local travel) should be favoured. In case of per diems, they cannot be claimed. Staff expenses: Staff expenses refer to the costs towards paying salaries and consultancy fee to the staff of the project. Two sub-categories of staff are foreseen in the project: permanent working either full/part-time in the project or non-permanent: specifically recruited for the project. The staff cost must include the actual salary, the social charges and other statutory costs. The eligible staff cost is calculated whereas the daily/hourly gross cost is multiplied by no of days/hours worked for the project. For each staff working under the project, timesheets or an equivalent time registration system must be set in place by the organisation. The salary rates should not exceed the average ones corresponding to the beneficiary's usual policy on remuneration. Staff expenses may not exceed more than 25% of the total eligible direct costs. Contributions in kind Contributions in kind are not considered actual expenditure and are not eligible costs for reimbursement. Ineligible costs The following costs are not eligible: debts and provisions for losses or debts; interest owed; salary top-ups and similar emoluments to government employees items already financed in another framework, i.e. existing capacity should not be included in the budget ; purchases of land or buildings; currency exchange losses; taxes, including VAT, unless the Beneficiary (or the Beneficiary s partners) cannot reclaim them and the applicable regulations do not forbid coverage of taxes; credit to third parties. 2.2 Application procedures 2.2.1 Application form Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions on this Call for Proposals. A standard application form is annexed to this document. 5
All applications must be in English. Due care must be taken to complete the application form. Any error or major discrepancy related in the application form (e.g. the amounts mentioned in the budget are inconsistent with those mentioned in the application form) may lead to rejection of the application. Clarifications will only be requested if information provided is unclear, and prevents objective assessment of the proposal. Hand-written applications will not be accepted. Please note that only the application form and the completed annexes will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL relevant information concerning the project. 2.2.2 Where and how to send the application? The complete application form and budget must be submitted in Word and Excel or PDF. Applications must be submitted by email to office@iwc-sofia.org, marked Application for IWC Small Grants Scheme in the subject. Applications sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by mail) or delivered to other addresses will not be considered under this Call for Proposals. Incomplete applications will be rejected. 2.2.3 Deadline for submission of applications The deadline for the submission of applications is 31 January 2018 as evidenced by the date of receipt of submission email. Any application submitted after the deadline will be automatically rejected. 3 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS 3.1 Evaluation and selection of applications Applications will be examined and evaluated by the Charity committee evaluation team. All proposals submitted by applicants will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria: If the examination of the application reveals that the proposed project does not meet the eligibility criteria stated in section 2.1, the application shall be rejected on this sole basis. STEP 1: ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT The following will be assessed: The submission deadline has been respected. If the deadline has not been respected the application will automatically be rejected. 6
The application form including the budget table is duly filled and requested documents are attached to the application. If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected solely on that basis and the application will not be evaluated further. The proposal meets the rest of the eligibility criteria. STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION An evaluation of the quality of the applications, including the proposed budget, and of the capacity of the applicant and its stakeholders, will be carried out in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in the Evaluation grid included below. 3.1.1 Scoring The evaluation will be done by Charity Committee. Two evaluators from the Evaluation Committee will grade each application, then an average will be done of the results and the results will be discussed during Charity Committee Evaluation meeting. The shortlisted projects will be proposed to IWC Executive Board for final evaluation and decision on grant making. The evaluation criteria are divided into sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 5 in accordance with the following guidelines: whereas 1 = poorly meets the criteria and 5 = entirely meets the criteria. In addition, 0 = information not provided or irrelevant to criteria. The substantive element of a project is a prerequisite section, all applicants who fail to obtain the minimum pass mark of 20 out of 40 in this category, will not be considered further, irrespective of the other scoring sections. Due to the limited number of grants (20), priority in the selection process will be given to NGOs which have not yet received an IWC grant. Sample Evaluation Grid No Evaluation criteria Max score ORGANIZATION 1 Experience in social activities, community work & public awareness 5 campaigns, including work with vulnerable groups 2 Successful implementation of previous social projects and experience with 5 SDGs SUB-TOTAL 10 PROJECT 3 Relevance of the proposal to the objectives of the call for proposals, 5 indicating a clear target group 4 Realistic and obtainable objectives, well-defined short-term and long-term 5 results, with a relevant and specific project agenda 5 Well defined stakeholders and beneficiaries engagement strategy, and well 5 defined networking and partnership strategy 6 Effective monitoring system and well defined indicators 5 SUB-TOTAL 20 7
PERSONNEL 7 Knowledge of SDGs and working experience with them an asset 5 SUB-TOTAL 5 BUDGET 8 Clear, justified and consistent with project activities, with indication of inkind 5 or other donor contributions. SUB-TOTAL 5 OVERALL TOTAL 40 3.1.2 Provisional selection Following the evaluation, a table listing the applications ranked according to their scores is established. A provisional selection of applications is made at this stage depending on their ranking following the evaluation. STEP 3: APPROVAL OF THE GRANTEE 3.2 Approval of awards The final approval of selected applications follows IWC s procedures. The review considers whether the proposals put forward to them conform to the IWC rules and regulations, with special attention to the general principles of: fairness, transparency and integrity; effective competition; best value for money the interest of the community. 3.3 Notification of Decision Applicants are informed in writing of IWC s decision concerning their application. 4 DOCUMENTATION 4.1 Documents to be submitted on application The following documents must be submitted as part of the application: application Form (Word Format); proposal Budget (Excel Format); registration certificate; financial statement for the past year; (or any other official supporting documentation showing annual income for the last one year) CV of the person representing/ heading the organisation Further documentation may be required and these may be communicated to provisionally selected applicants in due course. 8
Documents may be checked for truthfulness and accuracy of representation through various means, including but not limited to internet searches, formally official confirmation from responsible offices, letters of recommendation, etc. 4.2 Documents to be signed between IWC and the Contractual Party The following documents will be signed as part of the grant agreement between IWC and grant recipients: a grant agreement based on the standard IWC Grant agreement See sample attached annex A Application Form annex B Budget breakdown 4.3 Reporting, monitoring and evaluation It is the responsibility of grantees to monitor and report on the progress of implementation of their grants projects in accordance with the stipulation of the grant agreement and performance measures included in their proposal. Failure to monitor and report on progress of implementation could be a reason to blacklist an NGO for all future IWC grants. 9